Fielder's opposite-field HR leads Tigers to fourth straight win, back into first

By MATTHEW B. MOWERY

Monday, April 29, 2013

DETROIT -- It's a crazy game. The Tigers blistered their way through the first home stand, started their lone West Coast trip with a bang, then staggered, losing five of six to fall a game and a half behind in the divisional race.

Prince Fielder started the season like a house afire, generating talk that he might be the third different Tigers player in as many years to win the American League Most Valuable Player award, before somehow losing his mojo somewhere in the Great Northwest.

Back home again, and the Tigers have righted the ship, sweeping the best team in the big leagues, the Atlanta Braves, then winning a fourth straight, 4-3, in Monday's series opener against the Twins.

"It's a crazy game. That's what this game is. It's a crazy game. We go to Anaheim, and the jaws are down, and it's the end of the world when you lose three games. Then you come home, and it's 'Oh, my God, they're coming home to the hottest team in baseball.' Freaky things happen, and we turn around and sweep them. I just don't get too excited about it, to be honest with you. I was real happy with the weekend series, but you just gotta realize we gotta keep grinding," Leyland said before the game.

Right smack in the middle of it all was Fielder, who hit a prodigious three-run homer to left-center field -- almost to the base of the flagpole -- in the sixth inning to give the Tigers the lead.

"Well, those two guys, they're well-respected in the league. Both liable to strike at any time. And Prince struck at the right time for us," said Leyland, whose team has hit four three-run bombs in four days. "You can't do anything about those. You hit them over the fence, it doesn't give you a chance to catch the ball or anything else.

"Those are quick runs. Earl Weaver went to the Hall of Fame watching a lot of those."

The four-game win streak has put the Tigers (14-10) back in first place in the AL Central by a half-game over the Royals (13-10), who have lost two straight.

The Tigers had to come from behind to get it done, though.

Andy Dirks, playing in just his second game in nine days and inserted in the No. 2 hole for a resting Torii Hunter, hit his first homer since the end of last September, cutting into a 2-0 Twins lead.

"It's the best it's felt since I ran into the wall in spring training," he said. "It felt good to get out there and be able to move around."

Dirks was the catalyst in the three-run sixth inning, too, starting the rally with a bunt single to lead off the inning. Miguel Cabrera would walk, setting up Fielder's go-ahead homer.

The two hits boosted Dirks' average from .167 to up near the Mendoza Line (.196).

"The home run was terrific, don't get me wrong, but I really loved the bunt single. We talked about that in spring training, just take what's there, and get on base for the big guys," Leyland said.

"I was suspicious that the knee was bothering him swinging, and I think I was right about that. It didn't bother him at all yesterday, so we went with him tonight. We've gotta get him going. ... That's huge. He was really a good player for us, and we gotta get him going."

Fielder's home run was a much-needed pick-me-up for a guy who'd been slumping since being named AL Player of the Week on April 15. He earned that honor by hitting .632 (12-for-19) with four doubles, two home runs, 11 RBIs, five runs scored.

In the two weeks after the honor, though, he'd gone 7-for-45 (.156) with one home run, three RBI and 17 strikeouts.

He'd changed his walk-up music to Mozart's "Requiem" on the homestand, but hadn't had a lot of success with the new tune.

"I knew if I kept battling, kept throwing up zeroes, that our offense could explode at any time. Sure enough, Miggy walked and -- boom -- Prince bomb. It can happen that quick, three batters, and the game's completely flipped," said starter Max Scherzer.

"That just shows you how, one, how good our offense is, and two, how good Prince is to be able to hit an oppo bomb here at our park."

He wasn't the only hero of the night, though.

With a somewhat depleted bullpen, the Tigers needed a longer outing from Scherzer.

"We'll be a little strapped tonight, but that's OK," said Leyland, who didn't have closer Jose Valverde, and wasn't sure about Al Alburquerque and Phil Coke, before the game. "The key will be Scherzer, if he can get us deep enough tonight."

Early on, that looked dicey, as the Twins got to him for a run in each of the first two innings.

Josh Willingham hit a two-out homer in the first to put Minnesota up 1-0, then Trevor Plouffe singled and scored from third on a groundout to make it 2-0 in the second.

A pair of fourth-inning doubles by Chris Parmelee and Oswaldo Arcia made it 3-1 Twins, and helped run up Scherzer's pitch count.

It was at 69 through four innings, and 95 after six.

But Scherzer (3-0) would settle in, and retire the final 10 batters he faced, the final four by strikeouts, coming out after one out in the eighth.

"Yeah, you know the bullpen's a little bit thin, and for me, I wanted to work ahead. I came out, and threw 22 of 27 first-pitch strikes. Anytime you do that, you have a high probability of having success, because you're putting the hitter in a defensive mode. And by doing that, it allowed me to pitch a little bit deeper in the game, and even go back out there for the eighth," said Scherzer, who finished with his third double-digit strikeout total of the season (10). "Anytime I can do that, you're giving the team everything you've got in that type of situation."

Drew Smyly would retire the final two in the eighth, and the first two in the ninth, before Joaquin Benoit came on for the final out, earning the save.